Translating policy transparency into policy understanding and policy support: Evidence from a survey experiment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Porumbescu, Gregory; Belle, Nicola; Cucciniello, Maria; Nasi, Greta
• 署名单位: Rutgers University System; Rutgers University Newark; Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna; Bocconi University; Bocconi University
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3298
• DOI: 10.1111/padm.12347
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 990-1008
• 关键词: COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY; self-efficacy; GOVERNMENT; performance; DESIGN; HEALTH

摘要

While transparency is viewed as a means of improving citizen understanding of public policies and eliciting policy support, there are few empirical assessments of these relationships. We address this gap in the literature using an experimental design. We predict that exposure to less detailed policy information improves policy understanding, and that this effect varies according to presentation format. Further, we predict that policy understanding will correspond to greater policy support. Using a nationally representative panel of US citizens we find that exposure to detailed policy information decreases policy understanding and that the effect varies by presentation format. In addition, policy understanding is negatively associated with policy support. These findings culminate in a positive indirect effectincreasing detail reduces understanding, which in turn is negatively associated with policy support. However, interestingly, policy support was highest among those who felt they understood the policy best, yet possessed the lowest levels of actual understanding.